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Children lose

It seems to me that the government and teachers are so far apart that it is like Mars and Venus.

To me, the fundamental problem is the lack of a defined working relationship.

The government treats the teachers as employees, and they are acting as a very tough employer. Not very 21st century of you.

The teachers treat the government as if they are in a well-meaning partnership looking out for the best interest of our children and the education system in B.C. What about the behavior of the government would suggest that this is a partnership?

The losers are first and foremost the children, and secondly all of us, the taxpayers. We need the teachers to be defining the issues needing the attention of government, and at the same time we need our government to both react to the issues with goodwill and at the same time to remain fiscally responsible.

It should be possible for the parties to work together for the overall betterment of the education system and the training of our children. But I don’t think that they alone have the capacity to define the nature of the partnership and how it should work to meet the needs of the children in a fiscally responsible environment.

It is time for the children of B.C., the parents of children, and other taxpayers to have a dialogue that would shape such a partnership. If teachers will not oblige then perhaps we should be looking at an entirely new schooling model. If government is unwilling to oblige then perhaps we should all reduce our provincial tax burden by 10 per cent.

Come on British Columbians, let’s take charge and solve this problem together.

Gary Robinson

Parksville

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